Because I Never Found Another You
by Whistler Nights
Summary: Rachel returns home to see her dying father Leroy one last time. She brings her fifteen year old son Brandon Weston with her. Finn never left Lima. Instead he stayed and raised a daughter. This is not the typical Finn and Rachel meet years later and reunite story.
1. Chapter 1

**Because I Never Found Another You**

(I do not own Glee or any of the characters. All names are fictitious and appear only by coincidence.)

Rachel returned to Lima for Leroy's funeral with her 15 year old son Brandon Weston. Finn had never left Ohio after Rachel married Brody. Instead he stayed behind and raised a daughter.

**Lima- 2030**

Dragging her suitcase up the steps of her childhood home, it was already hot for May in Ohio.

Rachel was 35 and had been summoned home by her dying father Leroy. He knew that he didn't have much time left, and he wanted to see his family one more time. Cancer had riddled his body, but his mind was as sharp as a tack. Hiram was a different story. He was in mid-stage Alzheimer's and Leroy had been his caregiver, refusing to place him in a nursing home. Now when Leroy passed Hiram would be unable to live alone.

Rachel had exploded on the Broadway scene when she was 24 with one big show after another. Producers were scrambling for her to head-line their next big production. Those days were now waning with newer and brighter talent snapping at her heels every day for every part.

Lately the parts that she had been offered were for more matronly types and Rachel didn't want to be remembered that way.

She didn't need the money. Over the years she had raked in millions on Broadway and from her album sales and had invested it wisely. She was pretty much set for life if she never worked another day.

On this trip she was accompanied by her fifteen year old son Brandon. He didn't want to come, but Rachel had insisted that he see his grandfather one last time.

When Rachel was twenty and a rising junior at NYADA she discovered that she was pregnant. Brody had seemed to be happy with the idea of being a father so the two married quickly. When their son was born, Brody had insisted on naming him Brandon. The marriage didn't last long. Brody quickly found out that he would always be a second choice. Rachel's heart would forever belong to Finn Hudson. A man that Rachel hadn't seen in almost two years.

Over the years Rachel married three more times, but none of them stuck. Rachel felt like they were only after her money, and the troublesome Brandon was a step-son that none of them had signed on for.

Brandon at fifteen was a handful. Rachel had been doing a steady eight shows a week since he was a toddler, and he was raised by so many nannies that even she had lost count. He had been kicked out of one private school after another. A bad attitude turned into fighting, which turned into lying and stealing, which turned into alcohol, and then to drugs.

The boy was taller than Rachel and at times she even feared him when he was angry and in a rage.

Rachel had felt guilty that Brandon was raised without a father, and that she was away so much of his childhood years. After Rachel and Brody broke up, Brody went to England and made a name for himself there.

To compensate Rachel was never able to say no to Brandon until he was kicked out of school for drugs. This was the last straw. The headmaster had wanted to hand him over to the police, but Rachel had used her influence to handle the matter quietly.

It had been a tantrum every day since he was expelled from his last school. Every tutor that Rachel had hired to complete his education quit within days. Now at the end of her rope, Rachel had refused to let him get his driver's license or buy a car for him when he turned sixteen. When she received the call from Leroy she insisted that Brandon accompany her to see his grandfather. Brandon had been in a surly mood ever since.

-/-

Flash Back -

Finn had never left Ohio. He had enrolled at Lima Community College and had graduated with an two-year degree. He had been accepted at The University of Ohio at Lima, Ohio State, and NYU as a junior transfer student. Things were finally looking up for him. Finn had planned on transferring to NYU and joining Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine in New York.

Finn had kept up with Rachel mainly through Kurt. Finn knew that Rachel was still seeing Brody, but hoped to win Rachel back when he was finally in New York. All that changed when Kurt called to tell Finn that Rachel was pregnant and was marrying Brody as soon as possible.

Finn transferred to the University of Ohio at Lima instead of NYU and continued to live at the Hummel/Hudson home. He worked at Hummel Tires for Burt part-time.

It was during the summer between his sophomore and junior year that one Quinn Fabray returned from New Haven. She had attended a frat party back in September the year before, and someone had slipped something into her drink. A month later she discovered that she was pregnant and didn't have a clue who the father was. Ashamed that this was her second pregnancy she told no one, not even the police or her mother. It was cold in New Haven that winter, and no one bothered to notice the baby bump under her layers of clothes.

Quinn came home for the summer to find her childhood home with a "For Sale" sign in the yard. Her mother received a large settlement when she divorced Russell and always seemed to be gone on a cruise or something. Lima held too many bad memories for Judy so moving on seemed to be her solution. Her drinking had become a problem, and she hadn't closed a sale in over a year.

Quinn tried to stay at her old house, but the realtors were showing it constantly. She had to be out of the house when prospective buyers were there.

It was on a Wednesday when she was out driving around Lima killing time while the realtors were showing her house again. Driving no where in particular, she turned down the street where Hummel Tires was located, and out front she saw Finn putting new wiper blades on a Jeep. With nothing else to do she stopped to say hi to her old high school sweetheart.

"Hi stranger, long time to see! I thought that you'd be in New York by now," Quinn said as she walked up and hugged Finn from behind.

"Quinn, it's so good to see you! What are you doing in Lima? I haven't seen you since you left for New Haven and the Ivy League."

"It's summer break so I decided to come home."

Now facing her, Finn hugged her again and immediately felt her baby bump under her baggy shirt.

"Quinn are you pregnant?" Finn asked before he could stop himself.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Quinn said sadly. "I came home to tell my mom, but she's never home. That's why I stopped coming back to Lima. She never here, but I had to come this time. This baby is due soon, I don't know who the father is, and I don't know what else to do."

Again, Finn spoke again without thinking. "You don't know who the father is?"

"It's not what you think; I wasn't sleeping around with every guy on campus. I went to a party and someone slipped something in my drink. I didn't know that I was pregnant until a month later. My mom doesn't know. I didn't have the courage to tell her after what happen with Beth. Now I don't have a choice."

"Do you know what you're going to do?" Finn asked.

"All I know is that I didn't want an abortion, and I don't want to put this baby up for adoption. Mom offered to help me take care of Beth. I was hoping that she would help me take care of this one, but she's never here and she's drinking more. She doesn't answer her phone. I've tried leaving messages, but her mailbox is always full."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I knew that your house was for sale, but I didn't know about your mom. Are you staying there by yourself?"

"I'm there when the realtors aren't parading some prospective buyers through it."

"I thought your mom would be selling it, she's a realtor isn't she?" Finn asked.

"Was a realtor. She hasn't closed a deal in over a year so they let her go. I think she's been on one cruise after another ever since."

"How far along are you?"

"Over eight months. That's why I came home. I didn't want to have this baby alone."

"You shouldn't be alone when you're this close. The tire shop will be closing in an hour. If you don't mind hanging around, we can go to Breadsticks and catch up," Finn offered.

"I'd like that; you can tell me everything that has been happening,"

Quinn and Finn spent the next couple of days together catching up after the tire shop closed in the evening. Judy finally called, and Quinn told her the news. Quinn didn't know if Judy was stunned, confused, or just plain drunk. Judy made a quick excuse telling her daughter that she was in Spain and didn't know when she would be home.

Drowning in hopelessness Quinn collapsed on Finn's shoulder sobbing when her mother hung up.

"What am I going to do Finn? I was raped at some frat party. I don't have any idea who the father is. I'm about to have a rapist's baby, and I'm all alone."

"You're not alone," Finn looked her in the eye. "I'm here for you. I don't want you to be alone when your baby comes. Why don't you stay with us? You can stay in Kurt's old room. I know Mom and Burt won't mind."

"I would like that, but won't your Mom think I'm a slut, I stayed with you for awhile when I was pregnant with Beth. She knows that I lied, and told everyone that you were the father. I lied because I knew you'd be a much better father than Puck, and I loved you, not him."

"Please don't be mad, but I've already told Mom and Burt about what happened to you in New Haven. They understand. Mom wouldn't want you to go into labor by yourself."

"Then I'll say yes, just because I'm desperate."

"Then it's settled. You'll stay with us until after your baby is born."

Carole and Burt welcomed Quinn, but were worried about how Finn was becoming close to her again.

"Son, you've been through this before with this girl. Your mom and I are worried that you may be becoming too involved."

"Burt, I appreciate your concern, but I'm not some stupid kid this time, and she's not trying to pass this baby off as mine. She was raped, and has had to carry a rapist's baby for almost nine months. She left Lima with such big plans, and now not even her mom will help her."

"Your mom and I don't want you getting yourself in too deep. We know that you're still hurting over Rachel, and Quinn has hurt you before too."

"I know, and please don't remind me about Rachel. She married another man remember? Quinn's in trouble and needs help. Her mother is off on another booze cruise, and her father has been MIA for years."

"It would just be so easy to rebound with Quinn. You have a history with her," Carole warned.

"Mom it's not going to happen. Now can everyone please stop talking about Mrs. Rachel Weston? I can't take it anymore!"

On the night that Quinn went into labor, she knocked on Finn's bedroom door. "It's time, my water broke."

"Are you sure?" Finn asked trying to wake himself up. "You wait right here, I'll go get Mom"

Carole panicked when she saw Quinn. Quinn's water had broken, but she was also bleeding. Meeting Finn on the stairs, Carole told Finn to turn around and call Dr. Greene, Quinn's OBGYN and to tell her that Quinn's water had broken, but she was bleeding too.

Carole and Burt were helping Quinn into the backseat of their car when Finn came running out of the house to join them.

"Quinn's doctor is out of town. Her answering service said to take Quinn straight to the ER. Dr. Helena Torrez will meet us there. She's covering for Dr. Greene."

"But I've never met Dr. Torrez," Quinn cried.

"A doctor is a doctor, and you need one now!" Finn scolded as he got in beside her.

The ER staff was waiting with a wheelchair when Burt's stopped the car at the ER entrance. Dr. Torrez was waiting already dressed for delivery.

Dr. Torrez took a quick look and told the staff to get Quinn into a delivery room as quickly as possible. The baby might be in distress and needed to get out ASAP.

"Please don't leave me," Quinn begged Finn.

Finn took a deep breath and nodded as a delivery room nurse quickly dressed Finn in a gown, cap, and mask.

There was no time for an epidural. This baby was on the move and within minutes she was wailing her lungs out in Dr. Torrez's hands.

Dr. Torrez handed the baby to the delivery nurse who wiped her off and wrapped her in a blanket.

"Give the baby to the father," Doctor Torrez ordered the nurse. "I think there's a tear in the mother's uterus and we need to put her under for surgery."

The delivery nurse immediately placed the baby in Finn's arms and said, "Congratulations. It's a girl!" Finn didn't have time to explain before the nurse left leaving him holding the crying baby.

A neo-natal nurse came and took the baby from Finn as they wheeled Quinn to surgery. Quinn only saw a passing glimpse of the blanket wrapped infant.

"We just need to clean and dress this little one up and check all of her vitals. You can see your daughter up in the nursery in about an hour. And congratulations, Daddy!"

Finn was standing there trying to explain, but no words were coming out, and no one was listening either. They had whisked both the baby and Quinn away.

Burt and Carole were standing in the hall when Finn came out still in the hospital gown.

"How's Quinn? Did she have the baby?"

"Yeah, it's a girl. Quinn had to have surgery after the baby was born. They think her something-or-other was torn. Mom, the doctor and nurses think I'm the father. They handed the baby to me and congratulated me," Finn said stunned.

"Meet me in the nursery waiting room. I've got to go to the admitting office and get Quinn admitted. I'll get things straightened out." Carole turned and was gone leaving Finn in Burt's care.

When the new baby appeared in the nursery window about an hour later she was placed on the front row of multiple newborns. The pink sign on her bassinette was marked "Girl Fabray."

The baby was alert and had about an inch of red hair. Her eyes appeared to be blue.

When Quinn woke up from surgery, she was in a private room with Burt, Carole, and Finn waiting patiently. The baby was asleep in a bassinette beside her.

Quinn came around slowly and at first didn't know where she was at.

"You're in the hospital. You had your baby girl, but the doctors had to take you to surgery to mend a tear in your uterus. You're both doing fine now. Would you like to hold your little girl?" Carole asked.

Quinn was still a little woozy, but her eyes flew wide open when she saw the red-headed baby in Carole's arms.

"No, No!" Quinn screamed. "That can't be my baby. Get that baby away from me! Get it out of this room now!"

"Quinn, what's wrong?" Finn asked trying to calm her down. "You've had a baby girl and you're both fine. Are you still trying to wake up?"

"Finn, I've been having dreams and flashbacks of the night I was raped! He had red hair! Get that baby out of here now!" Quinn was screaming so loud that the baby woke up and was crying too. A nurse came in, saw the commotion and quickly returned the baby to the nursery.

Quinn was hysterical, but Finn eventually calmed her down enough to speak.

"Do you remember that night? Do you remember who did this to you?" Finn asked.

"Just bits and pieces. I see him over me in my dreams. I feel him on top of me. The guy who raped me had red hair just like that baby!"

"That's enough to have a DNA test performed on the child and every guy who was at the party. I'll call the police in New Haven, and we can start trying to find this guy," Burt offered.

"That party was nine months ago, and I didn't report it to the police then. Are you planning on having every guy at Yale tested? It was a football weekend; the guy may not have even been a student. I don't remember enough to identify anyone." Quinn was still crying.

"We'll do whatever you want, but there's a scared, crying baby out there. What do you want to do about her?" Finn asked.

"For tonight can the nursery take care of her? I can't do this right now. Finn will you stay with me? Just for tonight?" Quinn pleaded.

"Like I said, I'll do whatever you want. Mom, would you and Burt explain things to the nurses in the baby nursery and ask them to keep the baby tonight?"

"Sure honey, we'll ask them. Quinn, get some sleep. Burt and I'll be back in the morning."

Out in the nursery, Carole asked to hold the still crying baby girl. The nurses knew that Quinn had needed extra surgery and a good night's sleep would help her recover. Carole didn't tell them all of the circumstances.

"There, there, it's alright. Everything's going to be alright. None of this is your fault," Carole cooed softly to the newborn.

After a while Quinn spoke to Finn who was sitting in a chair by her hospital bed waiting silently. "You probably think I'm horrible don't you, rejecting my own child."

"Quinn, I don't know what to think. You said that you wanted to keep this baby because of Beth, but this isn't an ordinary baby."

"I know. It's just seeing that red hair triggered a flashback of that night. How am I supposed to keep a baby who looks like the man who raped me? She'll be a reminder of that night everyday."

"Then maybe giving her up would be the best thing to do. But I gotta say, except for the red hair, she looks like you. Mom and Burt even said so. Now that you've seen her are you still planning on keeping her?"

"I honestly don't know. I still haven't gotten over giving up Beth. I swore that I would never do that again, but I don't even have my mom to help me this time, and I would like to finish college."

"I'll help you," Finn offered out of the blue.

"That's very noble of you Finn, but this isn't even your child. You're still grieving over losing Rachel."

"You don't have to decide anything tonight. Maybe in the morning things will look different. You just had major surgery, and you're probably still coming out from under the anesthesia."

"I hope so. I keep hoping that this is all some horrible nightmare, and I'm going to wake up soon."

The next morning, Finn was sleeping in the same chair when a day shift nurse came in to check on Quinn. "Would you like to see your baby now? She's certainly a pretty little thing."

"Give it a try; I'll be here with you. You're more awake now," Finn suggested. Quinn nodded okay to the nurse who went to get the baby.

When the nurse came back, she was carrying a pink bundle who was wearing a pink sock cap that covered her head. Not a single red hair was visible. Quinn was having second thoughts, but when Finn nodded encouragement she took the child in her arms.

"See, she does look like you," Finn smiled watching Quinn hold the baby. "Mom says that a baby's hair color will probably change as it grows older. She said that I had blond hair until I was five years old."

Quinn watch the baby very closely as she yawned, stretched, and then started rooting at her breast.

"She's hungry. Will you be breast feeding?" the nurse asked. "The night shift nurses have been giving her formula in the nursery. And have you decided on a name? You need to fill out the birth certificate so Dr. Torrez can sign it."

"No, no, I won't be breast feeding. Keep giving her the formula." Finn noticed that Quinn pushed the baby away a few inches.

"And a name?" the nurse asked again.

"I've always liked the name Emily. She looks like an Emily, don't you think so Finn?"

"I think it's a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl."

"You still have time to decide, but we need the birth certificate filled out before you leave the hospital. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go and get a bottle of formula from the nursery and a clean diaper. You can start practicing while the nursing staff is here to help you."

Returning with the bottle, Quinn was hesitant at first, but little Emily latched on to the bottle like she was starving. Finn didn't want to try burping. He was afraid that she would throw up on him, so Quinn lifted the baby to her shoulder and patted her back softly.

Finn and Quinn were hilarious changing the diaper. Since it was only a wet one, Finn did most of the work, but promised Quinn the next dirty one was hers.

The same nurse returned in a little while with a small plastic bath tub and baby soap. "It's time for your first baby bath lesson so roll up your sleeves."

Quinn and Finn were doing okay giving Emily a bath until it came time for the shampoo. Pulling the cap off of the baby's head, Quinn stopped in her tracks.

"Quinn it's only a color. Maybe you had a grandparent who had red hair too. You've been doing so well with Emily," Finn coaxed.

Swallowing deep, Quinn washed the baby's hair while Finn held her. As soon as the baby's hair was dry, Quinn slipped the pink cap back on her tiny head.

Emily slept for several hours while Finn went home to get some rest. Quinn slept too until the baby woke up hungry again. Ringing the call button, a nurse soon appeared with another bottle and a diaper.

Quinn felt like she was going to panic taking care of the infant by herself, but the nurse stayed close. Actually Quinn was beginning to like taking care of Emily as long as her little pink cap was on her head. This baby really was the spitting image of her own baby pictures.

Quinn couldn't make up her mind. She had sworn that she would never give up another child, but this baby was the result of a rape. Could she get past that? Could she even take care of this child? She had two years left at Yale and she wanted to return to New Haven in the fall. How would she juggle a baby and classes?

Giving Emily up seemed like the logical thing to do, but then she remember how much she had missed Beth and how she had tried to get her back. At least she knew where Beth was. She would be giving Emily to complete strangers.

When Finn came to visit that day, Emily and Quinn were both asleep. On the table the nurse had left the birth certificate for Quinn to fill out. Everything was complete except for the mother and father's information and the baby's name.

Finn sat back down in the chair he had spent the night in and watched Quinn and Emily sleep. He had been so broken since Rachel married Brody that he had hardly been able to function. When Quinn returned to Lima he felt like he could at least breathe again.

Taking care of the two of them was not his original plan. His original plan was to get into NYU and win Rachel back. With Rachel's marriage to Brody that was never going to happen and this seemed like a good second choice.

Emily was so tiny, so innocent, and so perfect, but he couldn't encourage Quinn to keep a child of rape if she couldn't handle it. This had to be Quinn's decision.

When Emily woke up Quinn was sleeping soundly so Finn picked the baby up and went to the nursery for a bottle. Feeding the baby felt comfortable to him. The baby seemed to be tracking him with her eyes as he talked to her. Finishing the bottle, Finn changed her diaper and then settled down to rock her. Soon the baby was asleep again snuggled into Finn's chest.

Quinn opened her eyes to see Finn rocking the sleeping baby. He was talking to her and singing bits of Journey and Foreigner songs to her. She watched the two for a good fifteen minutes before she moved.

"You're going to make a terrific daddy one day," Quinn finally spoke to Finn.

"Shhh, Emily's sleeping," Finn whispered. "Emily wanted someone to hold her. I thought I would let you sleep."

Quinn could see that Finn was falling in love with the baby. She was too except for the red hair. Something about the angelic face was irresistible.

After the nurse returned the baby to the nursery, Finn told Quinn that the birth certificate was there waiting for her to fill out and sign.

Quinn studied it for a few minutes and then burst into tears.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked.

"How am I going to fill out the father's section when I don't even know who her father is? What if Emily comes searching for me someday and sees that I filled out 'father unknown' on her birth certificate. She's going to think that her mother was some slut who was sleeping around with a bunch of guys and got knocked up!"

"So you've decided to give her up?" Finn asked.

"It would be for the best," Quinn continued to sob.

"Then put me down as the father." Finn swallowed hard.

"What? Are you insane? This baby isn't yours. Why would you want to claim her as yours? Do you have any idea what this could mean in the future?" Quinn continued to cry.

"I know, but this baby didn't ask to be here, she's innocent. She came into this world with three strikes against her, and I don't want her to ever know that she's the result of a rape."

"But your mom and Burt and my mom know."

Mom and Burt would never tell her. Put me down as the father, and Emily will have a chance of never knowing how she was conceived.

Quinn couldn't do it so Finn filled out his name in the blank and signed at the bottom of the certificate.

"You know if I give her up, you'll have to fill out the adoption papers too."

"I know, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If you decide to keep Emily, I'll help you."

"Finn, I know that you're using this baby and me to block out the Rachel pain. Please think about what you're doing."

"I have, and you and Emily have helped me feel like living again. But I'm not going to force you to keep her if you don't think you can. I just didn't want Emily to start life with 'father unknown' on her birth certificate."

"Have you noticed how much you're calling her Emily, not the baby, or she, or her? You call her Emily almost every time."

"That's because she's a real little person to me, but I really think you need to talk to someone professional about this. You've already been through one adoption that you regretted, but I don't want Emily to be a constant reminder of what happened to you. I want your nightmares to stop."

"Fine, Dr. Greene will be back this afternoon, I'll tell her about how I'm feeling."

Dr. Greene listened to Quinn and then had her meet with an adoption counselor, a rape counselor, and a therapist. Because of Quinn's surgery, she had to stay in the hospital a few extra days and had more time to decide.

Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury were now Mr. and Mrs. Schuster, they had married the year before. During hospital visiting hours they came by to see Quinn and the baby.

"Quinn, she looks so much like you," Mr. Schue commented as he held the baby girl.

"That's what I keep telling her," Finn seconded as Will slipped Emily into Emma's arms.

"Oh I see that's she's a ginger like me! Will, if we have kids there's a good chance that they'll be gingers too? What do you think about that?"

"If they're half as beautiful as this little girl, then I'll think that we've won the lottery. Who in your family has red hair?" Will ask Quinn.

Finn could see Quinn cringe before she answered. "My dad's hair had a little red in it. I think his father was kind of red headed. I really don't remember."

When the Schuster's had left, Finn could see that Quinn was deep in thought. "See, someone in your family has red hair. Maybe Emily got it from your dad or his dad."

"Maybe you're right. I'm just letting it bother me. Like you say, it's just a color, and it'll probably change," Quinn agreed.

On the morning that Quinn was discharged from the hospital, Emily was discharged with her. Quinn had talked repeatedly to the counselors and a therapist and had decided to try and keep Emily.

At the Hummel/Hudson house Finn had given up his room and had moved downstairs to the den. Quinn and Emily were staying upstairs in his and Kurt's old rooms.

Carole and Burt did enjoy having a baby around, but were still leery of Quinn. They knew what this girl had done to Finn in the past, and they thought Finn was looking at the situation with blinders on. He had already fallen in love with Emily.

Carole and Finn argued repeatedly when Quinn couldn't hear them. Finn didn't tell his mom that he had put himself down as the father on Emily's birth certificate.

"Mom, Quinn's just staying with us just until her mom gets back from Spain. I just asked her to stay here so she wouldn't be alone. I haven't asked her to marry me or anything like that. Do you want her over there in her big empty house with a newborn and strangers parading through it? Quinn just had surgery herself, and she needs help," Finn argued with his mother.

"See that you don't ask her to marry you!" You're both vulnerable right now, and you've been hurt enough!"

Burt was not as emotional as Carole, but he was worried about Finn too. He told his step-son that he thought that he had gotten too deeply involved already.

Quinn was functioning as a mother with everyone's help, but kept Emily's hair covered with the pink cap. Carole was giving Emily a bath one day when she noticed that the cap had given Emily a heat rash all over her scalp. July in Ohio was too hot for a sock cap.

It was August and Emily was almost two months old. She was smiling and cooing and even had Burt wrapped around her finger.

Late one night Carole could hear Quinn come downstairs to get a bottle for Emily's two o'clock feeding. Quinn got the bottle out of the refrigerator, warmed it, and then went back upstairs. About an hour later Carole heard Quinn come back down stairs except this time the front door opened and closed and Quinn's car started and left.

Wondering what was going on, Carole went up the stairs to check on Emily. Not believing her eyes, she ran to the den downstairs and woke Finn up.

"Finn, you're never going to believe this! You've got to see what Quinn had done to Emily!"

Finn shot up the stairs and stared down into the crib at the baby girl who was sleeping. Clumps of her red hair had been cut off and were lying around her along with the kitchen scissors and a letter addressed to Finn.

Carole reached to hold the baby while Finn read the letter to himself.

_Dear Finn,_

_I'm so sorry, I really tried, but every time I look at Emily's red hair I see his face over me. I know that she's innocent, but I can't do this anymore. Look what I have done to her. I'm afraid of what I might do the next time. I have to leave. I hope that you and your family will give her a good home, but if you can't you can put her up for adoption, you still have time. Your name is on the birth certificate so you can do it without me if you can't find me. _

_Please don't hate me, and. please don't look for me, Quinn_

"HELL NO!" Finn screamed. "That bitch is abandoning Emily! The baby isn't a stray dog that you can pass around! Mom, look after Emily, I'm going after Quinn!"

Emily was startled by Finn's screaming and was now crying in Carole's arms.

"Finn, no! Look what she has done to her own baby! We're lucky that she stopped with the hair. She could have easily killed her with those scissors."

"Mom, I didn't realize that Quinn was this bad! I've got to find her! She needs help!"

"You don't even know where she went. Please son, let her go. Hold Emily while I go and get Burt. Emily needs you a lot more that Quinn does."

Finn took the crying child into his arms and she soon settled down. Finn looked at her scalp and couldn't believe what Quinn had done to her. Her hair was cut in patches and she was nearly bald.

Finn cried as he rocked the infant back and forth the rest of the night. As Emily snuggled into Finn's chest, he decided that he was going to keep her no matter what.

At six in the morning Finn carried her downstairs for her bottle. Carole and Burt were sitting at the kitchen table waiting.

"What do you want to do Son?" Burt asked. "I wanted to call the police to track Quinn down, but your mom made me wait until I talked to you first."

Looking down at Emily's head Finn sighed heavily "Let her go."

"What about Emily? I thing we need to get her checked out by a doctor."

"That's a good idea Mom. Emily doesn't appear to be hurt, but I would like her checked to be on the safe side."

"The doctor will want to report this to the police."

"I know," Finn said as he rubbed his hand over what remained of Emily's mutilated hair.

"Child Services will want to take her since her only known parent has abandoned her."

"No, they won't," Finn said softly as he held the baby close to him. "I'm on her birth certificate as her father, and I've decided to keep her. She's not even two months old as has been through enough already."

"You are what?" Finn you aren't the father! Just like you weren't Beth's father either! Quinn is trying to saddle you with a child that's not yours again! I can't believe that she put you down as the father on the birth certificate!"

"Mom, I put myself down on the birth certificate. I didn't want Emily to ever know that her real father was a rapist. Please calm down, you're scaring Emily."

"You're only twenty years old, how are you going to raise a baby?"

"I was hoping that you and Burt would help me. If not I can drop out of college, work full time, and put her in daycare."

"You're not going to do that. You've worked too hard to get where you are. If it's okay with Burt, we'll try to work things out."

"I think we can arrange that, but what about Emily's real parents? You've got an unstable girl running around out there, and a rapist who's still on the lose back in Connecticut."

"Burt you can contact the police if you want to but look at Emily. We're lucky that Quinn only cut her hair."

Quinn never returned. Finn struggled to raise Emily and go to school too, but with Carole and Burt's help he managed. Two years later he graduated with a business management degree from the University of Ohio at Lima and took over the business end of Hummel Tires.

When Burt retired he gave his fifty percent of the business to Finn. Kurt gave him the other half.

Hummel Tires became Hudson Tires and eventually expanded into two more shops.

Emily grew and there was never a daughter that loved her daddy more than she loved Finn. Carole was Nana and Burt was Pops.

Finn did date from time to time, but never really found someone that felt right. He also had a daughter, and not many young women wanted a ready-made family.

Kurt and Blaine had married in New York earlier. Kurt was a designer for a famous fashion house and Blaine was a lawyer in the Public Defenders' office. Kurt called his dad every Sunday, and the two came home for holidays.

Kurt and Blaine knew all about how Emily had become part of their family, but never mentioned it to anyone. It was just Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine.

When Emily was about ten, she asked why she didn't have a mother when her friends did. Finn told her that she did have a mom, who loved her very much, but she had to be somewhere else. He, Nana, Pops, Uncle Kurt, and Uncle Blaine had done their best to be her mother too.

Kurt even kidded her once saying, "Who needs a mom when you've got me?" Kurt did fill that role pretty well. He took Emily shopping when he was in town, made sure she was up to date on the latest styles from New York, taught her how to apply make-up, listened to the problems that Daddy didn't understand.

Finn never really forgot Rachel and every now and then she would be on the cover of some tabloid at the grocery store check out.

Rachel had been a headliner on Broadway, but the tabloids only reported on her latest marriages or divorces.

The summer that Emily turned sixteen, Kurt called and told the family that Rachel's father Leroy had died. Finn dug through the paper until he found the obituaries. Leroy's funeral would be at noon the next day. Hiram and Leroy had always been loyal customers at Hudson Tires so Finn decided that he would be there.

==/==

Chapter two is now up. The title is We Grew Up. If you have enjoyed this chapter please review. I would appreciate your comments and suggestions!

Sincerely, Whistler Nights


	2. Chapter 2

**We Grew Up – Chapter Two**

(I do not own Glee or any of the characters. All names are fictitious and appear only by coincidence.)

The four weeks between the day that Rachel and Brandon arrived in Lima and the day that Leroy died were the hardest days of Rachel's life.

Leroy went down hill quickly. His doctors wanted him in the hospital, but he refused. He wanted to die in his own home with his family with him. Leroy didn't like it, but Hospice was now dropping by on a daily basis. Their help was beyond measure, but Leroy saw their presence as the beginning of the end.

Hiram was even move confused. Rachel hadn't realized that his Alzheimer's had progressed that far. He had a few good days, but usually he was lost. He remembered his life before Alzheimer's began robbing him of his memories. He could remember the day he met Hiram and their early life together. He remembered Rachel as a child and as a teenager, but his short term memory was gone. Brandon became irritated when Hiram asked the same questions over and over again and snapped at him when Rachel wasn't around. Hiram remembered Brandon as a toddler and didn't know this teenager who was so impatient with him.

Brandon didn't make Rachel's days any easier. He was bored and restless in Lima. He spent most of his time in the garage playing his rock music too loud, tearing up tools that he no idea how to use, or sitting in Leroy and Hiram's aging black BMW.

It had been a very bad day for Rachel when Brandon picked the wrong time to say the wrong thing to her.

"Mom, you don't to buy a car for me. I could trade that BMW out in the garage in on a sweet ride. It's old enough to be a classic."

"Those two old geezers are never going to drive it again anyway. One of them is going to be worm food soon enough, and we're going to ship the other one off to the looney bin if he doesn't croak soon."

Rachel spun around and did something that she had never done before, she slapped her child. She smacked him across the face with every ounce of strength she had. His face bore the red imprint of her hand and his nose was bleeding.

"The only one that's going to get shipped off around here is you! I'm going to ship you off to your father in England and see how he deals with all of the crap that you put me through!"

"Those two men are my parents and your grandparents! The only grandparents that you've ever known! Don't you ever say anything like that about them again!"

Brandon was stunned as he wiped the blood from his nose.

"Mom, I'm bleeding. I'm going to call Child Services and report you for child abuse!"

"Go ahead! I'm sure their phone number is in the phone book!"

She threw the phone book on the counter as Brandon slammed the kitchen door and headed upstairs to the bedroom he was using.

Rachel had absolutely no idea what to do. One father was dying, the other didn't know that he was in the world, and her son was totally out of control. She had never struck Brandon before. She felt like she was out of control too.

She sat down at the kitchen table and cried with her head in her hands until Hiram came through and sat down beside her.

"What's wrong pumpkin?" Hiram said as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Nothing Dad, I'm just a little tired. I'm just sad that Daddy is sick."

"Leroy is sick? When did that happen? I must go and check on him."

It broke Rachel's heart to see how Alzheimer's had robbed Hiram of his memory. Leroy had been diagnosed with cancer several years ago and had been undergoing chemo and radiation treatments ever since. Hiram didn't even remember that. He only remembered the good old days which in a way was a blessing.

Cleaning up the mess, Rachel reached for the phone book that was splayed across the counter. She closed it and was putting it away when she saw an advertisement on the back cover. It said, "Come On Down To Hudson Tires! We Have Three Locations To Serve You!"

Staring back at her was a glossy picture of Finn Hudson holding a tire around his shoulder. He was older and had grey hair around his temples, but it really was her Finn. She traced her fingers over his face and his smile. She had been so overwhelmed since she arrived in Lima that she hadn't thought of Finn.

She knew that he had stayed in Lima after she married Brody, but she really didn't think that he would still be there. She thought about calling him, but changed her mind. She really didn't know what to say, and she hadn't talked to him since before her marriage to Brody. That was four husbands and sixteen years ago.

She trudged up the stairs to the room Brandon was using,

"May I come in?"

"Go away! Are you going to hit me again?"

"No Brandon, I'm sorry that I hit you. I was wrong, but you were wrong too. Can I come in and check on your nose bleed."

"May as well, it's your house."

Rachel opened the door and found her son lying on the guest bed holding a wash cloth to his nose.

"I think you'll live, and I'm sorry that I hit you. Hitting is not the answer, but you know how much those two men mean to me. I'm loosing one to death and one to Alzheimer's. Pretty soon my only living father won't even know who I am. Of all the roles that I've ever played on Broadway this is by far the hardest. I don't want to let go of either of them, and I am powerless to stop it. You see how hard this is for me. You're old enough to help me through this instead of being a little jerk."

"Mom, I'm bored. I wanted you to leave me in New York with my friends, but you wouldn't let me. There's nothing to do in this town, and I don't know anyone. This house is like a fricking hospital or a prison," Brandon sulked.

"I didn't leave you in New York because you're a minor and your Grandfather Leroy wanted to see you before he died. I have no idea how long we're going to be here.

"I'm still bored!"

"Well why don't you go down to the community pool tomorrow and see if you can meet some people your age down there. I spent a lot of my summers there. There are tennis courts and basketball courts."

"How am I supposed to get there? I don't have a car remember?"

"You can ride my old bike, I'm sure that it's still out in the garage."

"That old thing, the one with the banana seat?"

"It's either ride my old bike or walk."

"Why can't you drive me?"

"You know that I can't leave. Dad is bedridden and Daddy might wander off. I have to keep an eye on both of them at least until the Hospice nurse comes to help me."

"Fine, I think I packed some trunks."

Rachel had second thoughts about sending Brandon to the pool alone, but this was Lima. It wasn't New York City. Brandon was fifteen going on sixteen. He had been stuck in the house for days now, and basically everyone could use a break from each other. Hiram, Leroy, and Brandon were more than she could handle and she knew it.

It was then that Rachel sat down with that phone book with the picture of Finn on the back cover and decided to start looking for some in home nursing help. This was far more than she could handle on her own.

Brandon was peddling the too small bike down the street the next morning when a sheriff's car pulled up beside him.

"Did you steal that bike?" The officer asked. "I don't remember seeing you around here."

"I'm not from around here. I'm from New York City My mom and I are staying with my grandfathers. One of them is dying."

"What's your name? Who are your grandparents, and how old are you?"

"I'm Brandon Weston, I'm fifteen, and my grandfathers are Hiram and Leroy Berry."

"Are you Rachel's boy? I went to high school with her back in the day. How's she doing? I heard that she made it big in New York."

Brandon wanted to say something smart, but his recent brush with drugs and the headmaster changed his mind.

"She's okay. Is this the way to the community pool?"

"Yeah, just keep going straight and stay out of trouble."

The patrol car sped off, and Brandon watched it turn the curve and disappear. "Great," Brandon thought to himself. "My mom even knows the cops in this town. I won't be able to get away with anything."

Brandon found the pool and there were a lot of kid there that seemed to be his age. He thought about turning on his New York accent and impressing some of the red necks until he spotted the lifeguard.

She was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen in his life. Her eyes twinkled like blue sapphires and her hair was pulled back in a long reddish-blond pony tail. Her legs were long and she had a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Her red lifeguard swim suit accented her tanned perfect figure.

"Hey kid," she called to him, "Before you can swim, you have to fill out an information sheet. Are you from around her? I don't recognize you?"

"I'm not a kid, I'm fifteen, and I'm only visiting from New York City."

"You still have to fill out an information sheet. If you drown, we have to know where to send the body."

"Funny!" He smirked.

After he filled out the information sheet he handed it back to her.

"I'm Emily, one of the lifeguards here. I see that your name is Brandon Weston. Nice to meet you Brandon Weston."

"You don't look old enough to be a lifeguard," Brandon frowned.

"I just turned sixteen and this is my first real job. I've spent the last four months earning my lifeguard certifications, so if you drown I can give you CPR."

"I think I would like that," Brandon smirked before he jumped into the deep end of the pool and swam off.

When Emily's shift ended, Brandon climbed out of the pool and went over to talk to her under the umbrella. He wasn't the only one. Two other boys about her same age were talking to her too. "Brandon, this is Seth and Drew. I go to school with them. This is Brandon, he's visiting." Emily introduced him.

Brandon hung around until Seth and Drew left for a chance to talk to Emily alone.

"Do you live around here? I could walk you home." Brandon offered.

"No thanks, I have my car."

"You have your own car?"

"Yeah, my dad bought it for me for my sixteenth birthday. It's sitting over there."

Brandon turned around to see a brand new red Mustang with a black convertible top and black seats sitting in the parking lot with the top down.

"Your dad bought that car for you? I can't even get my mom to talk about buying a car for me."

"My dad was going to wait until I graduated in two years, but he surprised me with it because I made the Beta Club. He's also a tire dealer, and he's good friends with the car dealers in town.

"What's the Beta Club?" Brandon asked.

"At my school, McKinley High, you have to have a 3.5 GPA in all of your classes, and you have to be on the college prep track."

"Is that a public school? I've never been to a public school before. Just private schools New York City."

"I've been in public schools all my life. Now if you'll excuse me. I have to go. My Nana Carole is expecting me."

Brandon pushed the bike home and found Rachel pouring over a lot of papers on the kitchen table.

"Shhh," she whispered to Brandon. "Both of your grandfathers are taking naps, and I'm trying to catch up on their bills. How was the pool?"

"I met this sixteen year old girl who is one of the lifeguards. She has her own car and her name is Emily. She has two friends named Seth and Drew. And I also met a cop. He said that he went to school with you."

"Where you causing trouble? What was his name?" Rachel asked.

"No, I wasn't causing any trouble. He just thought that me riding your old bike looked kinda of weird. He didn't say what his name was, but I need to go up to my room and get out of these wet trunks."

"Okay, just don't turn your music on. I want Dad and Daddy to sleep as long as possible so I can concentrate on their bills."

Rachel had been working on Hiram and Leroy's bills for hours. Hiram had kept such meticulous bills up to a point and then everything went haywire. Their medical bills were out of sight. Hiram had taken out a reverse mortgage on their house to pay for their mounting medicals costs and that was almost used up. At the rate they were going, they wouldn't have a house to live in soon.

She now knew why Hiram had refused to go into the hospital, and why he was trying to take care of Leroy at home. Their insurance picked up most of their medical costs, but their part of Leroy's last hospital bill was over a hundred thousand dollars. Rather than upset Hiram, she wrote out a check and paid it herself.

As Rachel dug deeper she found more unpaid bills. There was a stack of bills from a chemo and radiation clinic. The pharmacy bill hadn't been paid in three months. The utility bill was also over due. Before the evening was over she had written checks to cover over a quarter of a million dollars.

Then there was the problem of the reverse mortgage. She would call the mortgage lender tomorrow and see what was going on.

She had also made an appointment for Allen County Senior Services to come by. She had to have some in-home help. Maybe they could point her in the right direction.

The next day the door bell rang and Brandon opened the door to find the same police officer standing there. "I didn't do anything!"

"I know that you didn't, I'm here to see your mother."

Rachel rounded the corner from the kitchen to see who was at the door.

"Noah! It's been ages! I didn't know that you were in Lima. I thought that you went to California!"

"I did, but I got interested in law enforcement. Came back here, took some courses in criminal justice at Lima CC, and the sheriff's department hired me as a deputy when I graduated. I ran for the sheriff's office two years ago and won. I think every kid that ever played football at McKinley and every cougar that I cleaned a pool for voted for me. Anyway, I was running unopposed."

"Oh Noah, let me introduce you to my son Brandon Weston. This is my old friend Noah. We went to temple together when we were kids."

"We've met, this is the cop, I mean police officer that pulled me over on your bike yesterday."

"Just doing my duty. It's not every day you see a strange kid riding a girl's bike with a banana seat on it."

"Mom if you don't mind, I'd like to go back down to the pool today. Your dads are fine right now, and I'd like to hang out with some of the kids I met yesterday."

"Sure son, take your towel, sunscreen, and your cell phone."

"Okay, but this time I think I'll walk to the pool."

Brandon was out the door and was gone leaving Rachel and Puck in the living room.

"Please excuse my son. I really think he wants to hang out with one of the life guards down there. I think he said her name was Emily."

"Did your son happen to mention who Emily is?" Puck asked.

"No he just said that she was pretty and was sixteen, and he emphasized that she had a new red convertible."

"That's Finn's daughter."

"Finn? Kurt never told me that Finn had a daughter!"

"I don't know a lot of the details either. All I know is that Finn was all set to join you in New York after he graduated from Lima CC and transfer to NYU. All of a sudden he changes his mind. He was in pretty bad shape until Quinn shows up about ready to pop. She had a kid, and then took off leaving the baby with Finn, Carole, and Burt. No one has heard from her since, and Finn raised Emily."

"Is she Finn's biological child?" Rachel asked.

"I don't think so. Finn won't talk about it, but I kind of doubt it since he was working so hard to get to New York and win you back from that guy you were seeing."

"No one ever told me that Finn was coming to New York, what was he going to do?"

"Beats me. I remember the day he got his acceptance letter from NYU, but he ended up going to the University of Ohio at Lima instead. He's been managing Burt's old tire shop ever since. He changed the name to Hudson Tires and expanded it to three shops. I think he's done pretty well for himself."

"It all makes sense. That was around the time I got pregnant with Brandon and married Brody. I never knew what Finn was planning."

"Well I guess that it was a good thing. Quinn took off and Finn raised Emily. Finn and that little girl love each other to death."

Rachel thought for a moment before she turned the conversation to Puck. "Tell me Noah, is there a Mrs. Sheriff Puckerman, and do you have any little Puckerman deputies running around your house?"

"Nah, I'm still playing the field at 35. I think Finn and I are the only bachelors left in this town that's over twenty years old."

"Finn never married?"

"Nope, he dated a few women, but nothing ever stuck. He was busy with Emily and expanding the business. Rachel my lunch break is almost over, so I hope to see you around town before you head back to New York."

"I hope so too; you probably know that I have my hands full here with my dads so if you see my son around town, please keep an eye on him."

"I sure will, and you're still my beautiful Jewish princess, you know that right? If I see Finn, I'll tell him that you're in town."

"Please don't. Now that I know about his plans for New York, I wouldn't know what to say to him. Let me think about it, and I'll look him up before we leave town."

Puck left and Rachel pulled out the phone book looking at Finn's tire ad on the back cover. Rubbing her fingers over his face she wondered what might have been. What if she hadn't gotten pregnant with Brody's child and married him. What if Finn had joined her in New York? That was the problem with all of her four marriages. She kept trying to find another Finn, but none of them could replace him.

Leroy passed away in his sleep a few weeks later. Hiram was inconsolable. Leroy was born Southern Baptist, but had converted to Judaism. His funeral service would be as soon as possible in keeping with the Jewish custom.

After Leroy was buried in a simple wooden coffin, Rachel and the family had a reception for friends. Rachel was standing in line shaking the hands of the town people who had come to say good bye to Leroy too. The faces were familiar, but they had all aged fifteen years so she didn't remember all the names until a still familiar voice spoke to her, "Hello Rachel. Remember me it's Finn."

His eyes, dimples, and lop sided smile hadn't changed. She hugged him tightly, and he even still smelled the same. That brief moment was the most at peace that she had felt in years.

"Finn, I can't believe that it's you," the tears were now welling up in her eyes.

"It's me, I never left Lima, but I'd like you to meet my daughter Emily Hudson. Emily this is Rachel Berry, the Broadway star."

"And this is my son Brandon."

"We've met; he comes to the community pool everyday. I haven't seen that bike lately," Emily smiled at the boy.

Finn stared at Brandon and remembered that Rachel's pregnancy with him had derailed all of his plans for New York and winning Rachel back.

Rachel stared at Emily and couldn't believe how much she looked like Quinn except for the reddish blond hair. She didn't see any of Finn in her, not even the eyes.

Then Rachel remembered her step-sister Beth. Emily and Beth would be half-sisters. That would make her a step-sister to Emily as well. She wondered if Emily even knew about Beth.

"How long are you going to be in town?" Finn asked. "Maybe we can get together and catch up. The four of us could go out to Breadsticks."

"Is that place still open?" Rachel asked. "I thought the health department would have shut it down by now."

"Yeah, and it's as crappy as ever."

"Finn, I'd like that, but I can't leave Daddy. He has Alzheimer's you know. Maybe you and Emily would like to come over for dinner in a few days, bring Carole and Burt too. I still remember how much you liked my eggplant lasagna."

"I'll call you and see how things are going. I know that you have your hands full right now. If there's anything we can do to help, please call us."

Rachel did have her hands full, but seeing Finn again was like a breath of fresh air. Brandon was still going to the pool everyday, and was behaving relatively well.

Poor Hiram. He couldn't remember that Leroy had passed away and asked where he was everyday. When Rachel or Brandon told him that Leroy had died, it was like telling him for the first time over and over again. Finally Rachel began telling him that Leroy had gone for a walk which seemed to satisfy him until he asked where Leroy was again. It was lying and she knew it, but seeing Hiram grieve like that was unbearable.

School would be starting soon in New York and Rachel knew she had to get back and see if she could persuade another prep school to take Brandon. It would probably require making a sizeable donation. Most schools usually took one look at his transcript and discipline reports and said no.

She still didn't have any idea what to do about Hiram. Leroy had wanted to keep him at home as long as possible. She had to put baby locks on all of the doors to keep him from wandering outside when no one was looking. She had hired around-the-clock nurses and it was costing her a fortune. To place Hiram in an Alzheimer's facility in New York would cost even more, and he wouldn't have the surroundings that at least he was familiar with.

Finn and his family did come over one Sunday night for dinner. Rachel had prepared her egg plant lasagna and fried chicken for those who didn't like egg plant. Brandon had even been a big help because Emily was coming. Rachel feared that he might be developing a crush on Finn's daughter. That would only complicate things, and Finn's family had no idea how out-of-control he could be.

Dinner went well, and the nurse put Hiram to bed early. Carole and Burt entertained Brandon and Emily with a marathon game of Monopoly around the kitchen table while Rachel and Finn went out to the swing on the back porch to get reacquainted.

"So how have you been since the funeral?" Finn asked.

"As well as you can expect. Dad isn't getting any better over losing Daddy. Every time I have to tell him that Daddy has died it's like telling him for the first time all over again."

"Brandon is behaving better. I think your daughter has something to do with that."

"Yeah, Emily has mentioned that she thinks your son might have a crush on her or maybe her car."

"Emily certainly is beautiful. Puck tells me that Quinn's her mother."

"Yes, Quinn showed up here one summer ready to have a baby at any moment. She had Emily and then took off. I haven't heard from her since, but I haven't looked either."

"Are you Emily's father?" Rachel asked.

"I'm her father in every way that matters. She has been with me since the day she was born. How much did Puck tell you?"

"Not much more than that. He did tell me that you graduated from Lima CC and were on your way to NYU. I never knew that."

"That was the plan until you married that Brody guy so I stayed in Ohio."

"Finn I missed you. I was having comfort sex with Brody when we had an accident. I was pregnant and still had two more years at NYADA. Brody had just graduated and wanted me to marry him. I thought I loved him, but I never got over you and he knew it. The marriage didn't last long before we divorced and he took off to England."

"Rachel, what happened to us?" Finn asked point blank

"I guess that we had to grow up." Rachel said sadly.

-/-

Chapter three is up. It is entitled After All This. Thank you to those who are following this story and reviewing. You inspire me to type faster! Sincerely, Whistler Nights


	3. Chapter 3 After All This

**After All This – Chapter 3**

(I do not own Glee or any of the characters.)

Finn and Rachel continued to rock back and forth in the porch swing after dinner while Emily and Brandon were beating Carole and Burt at Monopoly in the kitchen. The summer's day heat had waned at the fireflies were coming out.

For two people who had once been engaged, getting reacquainted was awkward.

"We did grow up, didn't we?" Finn remorsed. "Actually we had to grow up. All of a sudden we had kids to take care of and it wasn't just about ourselves anymore."

"Having kids changes things, doesn't it?" Rachel commiserated.

"Yeah, I had this little red-headed baby that her mother left behind. I could have put her up for adoption, but I couldn't. Emily was almost two months old when Quinn left, and I had already fallen in love with her. It was hard, but Mom and Burt helped and the four of us managed."

"So Quinn comes back to town, has a baby, and leaves her with you?" Rachel asked.

"It's a lot more complicated than that. It's long story that I'd rather not get into."

"Finn, I have to ask, does Emily know about Beth or Noah?"

"No, Emily doesn't know anything about Beth, and Puck has never said anything to her either. He promised me he wouldn't. He's her Uncle Puck, my friend, and the town sheriff to her."

"Beth is twenty now. She and Shelby live in New York too, I see them for holidays. Noah tells me that you once had plans to come to New York too."

"I did, but when Kurt told me that you were marrying Brody, I didn't see the point. Besides, by the end of that summer I had Emily to take care of."

"Finn, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, you've got a great son, and I've got a great daughter. You made your dreams come true on Broadway, and I've done alright for myself."

Changing the subject, Finn asked, "Have you decided what you're going to do now that Leroy is gone? Will you be taking Hiram back to New York with you?"

"I wish I knew. Dad has forgotten so much, but at least he remembers the house that he and Daddy shared. If I move him to New York he's going to be completely lost. But if I don't do something soon, he's going to lose the house anyway. They took a reverse mortgage out on the house, and that's almost used up. We could lose the house, but at least I wouldn't have to try and sell it."

"Can you pay it off?" Finn asked.

"I could, but what if I have to put Dad in an Alzheimer's facility? I would want him near by. And then there's Brandon. I need to try and bribe another prep school in New York into taking him this fall."

"Bribe?" Finn asked surprised.

"Brandon has been a little angel since he met your daughter, but he has a rocky history back in New York. Brandon has been kicked out of one private school after another for ever thing from fighting to marijuana. He hasn't had a constant father figure, and I spent so much of his childhood working. My three other marriages haven't helped him either."

"It's none of my business, but why did you marry so many times?" Finn asked curiously.

"Deep down, I think I was looking for another you. Brody found out quickly that I had never gotten over you. You've got to be the most eligible bachelor in Lima, why haven't you ever married?"

"In case you haven't noticed, there aren't that many eligible women left in Lima. I dated a few women back in my twenties, but deep down I think I was comparing them to you," Finn confessed.

"We won! We won!" Brandon burst out onto the back porch where Finn and Rachel had been reminiscing. "Emily and I beat Carole and Burt at Monopoly!"

"Ah, we let them win," Burt laughed. "That game would've gone on all night, and it's past my bedtime. Finn, your mother and I are heading back to the house now in our car. Emily can go with us if you want to stay here for awhile and drive her Mustang back later."

"No, I should be going now too." Finn declined. "Hudson Tires is starting a new sale tomorrow, and I need to be at work early. Emily, I'll meet you in your car in a moment."

"Having a daughter with a driver's license is like having your own personal driver." Finn teased his daughter.

"Ah daddy, you just want to make sure that I'm not driving around speeding or picking up boys. He likes to keep an eye on me."

"Well you know that your Uncle Puck is watching out for you too, and he can give you a ticket."

"Uncle Puck loves me, and he would never do that. Daddy, I'll wait for you in the car. I'll put the top up so you won't catch a cold," Emily teased her dad back.

As Finn's family thanked Rachel and Brandon for dinner, Rachel wondered what it would have been like if things had turned out differently. Finn, Emily, Burt, and Carole seemed to be the perfect family.

Brandon was in the kitchen packing up the Monopoly game while Finn was telling Rachel goodbye at the door.

"I've really had a good time tonight Rachel. Maybe we can do this again before you have to leave for New York."

Finn bent to kiss her on the cheek, but she turned her head so that his lips landed firmly on hers. She kissed him back and for a moment that old tingle shot down her spine, and she swore she saw fireworks. She could tell that Finn felt it too.

Their kiss was interrupted by a crash from the kitchen and Brandon flying through the living room and up the stairs.

Looking into the kitchen Rachel and Finn saw that the Monopoly game had been hurled to the floor and play money and plastic houses were everywhere.

"Brandon must have had trouble putting the game back together. He does have anger management issues," Rachel made excuses for her son. "I should go up and check on him."

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow and see how you're doing," Finn smiled weakly before he opened the door and headed for Emily's waiting car.

In Brandon's room, Rachel found him in his bed pounding his fist into his pillow cursing to himself.

"Brandon sweetie, what wrong? Things were going so well."

"It's that Finn guy! I saw you kissing him! Is he going to be husband number five?"

"No honey, Finn's an old friend.

"You don't kiss an old friend like that! You're going to get married, and you'll forget about me all over again! I know it! This is how it always starts!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You've had three husbands after my dad! Every time a new one shows up, it's like I become invisible! That's why I do the things I do, to try and get your attention! These guys come along, and it's like I disappear!"

"Brandon that isn't true. You're my son, and you'll always be first in my life. Finn and I were engaged when we were in high school, but we were too young. He was my first love, and he'll always have a special place in my heart. You'll find that out one day when you have your first love."

"Then why did you marry my dad? Oh I forgot. You had to marry my dad because you were knocked up with me! Remember, I did the math when I was seven! I know that I was an accident! Did Dad figure out that you were still hung up on your first love? Is that why he left you?"

"Son, don't be rude, and it wasn't like that. I loved your dad. It just didn't work out."

"Well please tell me why you had to get married three more times? I've had so many fake dads that I can't keep track of them."

"Brandon, you're my son and that's all that matters. As soon I figure out what to do about my dad, we'll be leaving Lima and heading back to New York. I'm so sorry, I never meant for you feel like you weren't my first priory because you are. Husbands and boyfriends come and go, but you'll always be my son. That's never going to change."

"Then you're not going to marry Emily's dad?"

"Finn and I have a past, but I think it's too late for a future."

"Because of me?"

"No Son, Finn broke our engagement, and put me on a train for New York. I would have never made it to New York if he hadn't forced me to go. I would have never met your father, and I wouldn't have you, and I wouldn't change that. Things happen for a reason. You were meant to be, and I'm so glad that I have you."

Brandon rolled over in his bed and cut off the lamp.

"Good night Mom. If you don't mind I'd like to go to sleep now," Brandon pouted as he turned his back to his mother.

The next morning Brandon was up early and heading for the pool. Rachel wanted him to stay and talk some more, but he was in no mood to listen to her. Finn called around ten to check on Rachel.

"What happened with Brandon last night?" Finn asked.

"He saw me kiss you and he feels threatened?"

"Threatened?" Finn asked.

"He's afraid that I'm going to marry you, and he won't be number one in my life. He says that happens every time I remarry. I shouldn't have turned my head to kiss you, but I couldn't stop my self."

"No one enjoyed that kiss more that I did, but if us seeing each other again is going to cause problems for him maybe I should stay away."

"Finn, I love my son, he knows that, but I love you too. I never stopped. It's taken me a long time to realize that."

"I love you too," Finn confessed. "There's got to be a way we can see each other and not have him feel like I'm coming between the two of you."

"As much as I love the idea I don't think it's possible. I've got to figure out what to do with my dad and this house, and I have to find a school in New York that will take Brandon."

"Rach, what if you put Brandon in school at McKinley? Mr. Schue is the principal now and Coach Sue retired years ago. You could pay off your dad's house, and the three of you could stay here in Ohio? Mr. Schue has turned more than one confused kid around." Finn said hesitantly into the phone.

"What about my career?" Rachel asked. "I don't see myself earning a living doing Community Theater here in Ohio."

"It's just an idea. Will you think about it?" Finn asked.

"I will. I'll talk to Brandon about it and see what he thinks."

"Rach, I've got a customer so I've got to go. And Rachel, I've always loved you, I never stopped."

"I never stopped either."

Rachel played with the idea all afternoon. She checked her money flow and called her investment banker in New York. She also called her agent.

The good news was that she had plenty of money from her investments and royalties. The bad news was that her agent hadn't been able to find a new leading role for her in a major production all summer. All the good roles were going to younger actresses. Maybe this was a good time for her to think about putting out another album. Her first two had done well, and there was still a demand for her CD's.

This could work Rachel thought to herself. Her dad could stay in his house. She could get Brandon away from New York, and maybe Finn could be in her life. It was certainly a long shot.

-/-

Thank you for reviewing my last chapter! You inspired me to get this one posted ASAP. Everything changes in chapter four so stick around. Sincerely, Whistler Nights

Chapter 4 (the final chapter) is up now. It is entitled Best Friends Forever.


	4. Chapter 4 Best Friends Forever

**Best Friends Forever – Chapter 4**

(I do not own Glee or any of the characters. All names are fictitious and appear only by coincidence.)

Rachel was on the phone all afternoon. She was financially sound, but still didn't have any big name producers interested in casting her in a leading role on Broadway or off. She could settle for a lesser role, but was hesitant. Settling usually meant the beginning of the end as newer and younger talent was arriving in New York everyday.

She had called every private school within a twenty block radius of her New York apartment to try and find a school where Brandon hadn't burnt all of his bridges. His former schools weren't interested in having him back as a student. The one school where he hadn't attended had a waiting list. Boarding schools were still an option, but Rachel felt that she needed to keep Brandon close since he felt like he was an after-thought in her life.

Finding a suitable Alzheimer's faculty for Hiram was even more of a challenge. The one that she thought would meet Hiram's needs was over fifteen thousand dollars a month and on the upper east side of Manhattan. She knew that uprooting him so soon after losing Leroy would only send him on a downward spiral again. She could already tell that Leroy's death had sped up the pace of the horrible disease as Hiram seemed to losing more and more memory every day.

Maybe Finn was right. Maybe staying in Ohio would be the best answer for all of them. She had enough money to pay off her childhood home and provide around the clock care-givers for her dad. She was still getting monthly royalty checks from her two CD's and maybe this was a good time to put out a new one. She could do the ground work in Lima and the actual recording in Chicago.

Brandon could attend McKinley High. While the boy could still find drugs in Ohio, they wouldn't be as readably available as they were in New York City. She would also have Mr. Schue, Finn, Puck, and the Lima Sheriff's Department to keep an eye on him.

Brandon had made friends in Lima over the summer. He saw Emily, Drew, and Seth everyday at the pool, and had even joined the swim team.

And lastly, maybe she still had a chance with Finn. She knew deep down that none of her four former marriages had worked because none of them were with Finn. Finn was the one who could still make her toes tingle. They were both single and at 35 they could still have a long and happy life together. Emily was 16 and Brandon was 15. In a few years they would be going off to college and she and Finn would both be empty nesters.

She wanted to talk to Brandon when he came home from the pool that day, but he was in a bad mood. He was tired and excused himself to his room after dinner.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Rachel asked her son.

"We had a long practice for our next swim meet this afternoon and I'm tired."

"You're usually excited about swim meets," Rachel pointed around the room at his ribbons on the wall. "What has really got you down?"

"I told Emily that I saw you and her dad kissing. I told her that I didn't like it and why!"

"What did she say?"

"She says that I was being immature and selfish."

"Son, you're getting ahead of yourself. I shared one kiss with my old fiancé. Finn and I are just good friends."

"Mom, the summer is half over. When are we going back to New York? I miss my friends there."

"I know, but haven't you made friends here? You were never on a swim team before? You have seemed happy ever since you started going to the pool. If you were to go to a school here, you could be in classes with the same friends."

"And where would I go to school?"

"McKinley."

"Mom, that's a public school. I've never been to a public school!"

"Mr. Schuster, the principal is an old friend. I could ask him to place you in classes with the kids that you know. Besides, I've been on the phone with every private school within a twenty blocks radius of our apartment in New York and none of them will take you back."

"You could hire some more tutors. No mom. I don't want to move from New York to Ohio permanently! I didn't want to come here in the first place, you made me! And where are you going to work? I don't see any Broadway theaters around here?"

"For now our cash flow is good, I could put out another CD and do the recording in Chicago. And Grandpa Hiram could stay in his own home."

"Mom, Grandpa Hiram doesn't even know that he's in the world half the time. You could dump him in a nursing home here or in New York and he'd never know the difference!"

"Brandon Weston, I've warned you to never speak of your grandfather that way! He still knows this house and me and you. No one is dumping him anywhere."

"I think this is all one big excuse to stay here with your precious Finn. I know how this works!"

Son, think about it. Would I be willing to leave a career that I've worked my entire life for just for a man? Do you know what I would really like? I would like to get you away from your drugged up friends in New York. I'd like to keep my dad in his own home with the family he knows. My family is worth more to me than a fading career in New York or a long lost boyfriend."

"That's what you say!"

"Brandon, I'm not arguing with you about this anymore tonight. Think about it. New York is all that you have ever known, but is it the best for you? Sleep on it and we'll talk about it some more in the morning."

"No, we won't!" Brandon shouted as Rachel closed his bedroom door. "I'm not staying in this town one minute more than I have too!"

During the night Brandon made up his mind, he was going back to New York City with or without his mom. He had friends that he could stay with. Friends who could get drugs for him if he wanted them. He didn't have a driver's license, but he could steal that old black BMW in the garage. It wasn't really stealing. It belonged to his dead grandfather. As his only grandchild, surely he would inherit the car someday anyway. He was just speeding up the process.

He packed his bag and made his way downstairs after midnight. Searching for the car keys, he found them inside Rachel's purse. He opened her wallet and helped himself to a several hundred dollar bills and a credit card that she probably had forgotten she had. Turning to leave he was scared by a tall old man standing in the kitchen behind him.

"Grandpa Hiram, I didn't see you standing there. What are you doing down here in the middle of the night?"

"I just came down for some warm milk. I couldn't sleep. Aren't you Rachel's boy, and what are you doing in her purse?"

"Yes, Grandpa, I'm Brandon. I'm glad that you remembered me. I was just looking in her purse for some aspirin. I have a headache," Brandon lied.

"Aspirin's in the cabinet over the bathroom sink," Hiram replied.

"You remember that?" Brandon asked.

"Of course I do, I've lived in this house for forty years. I know everything about it. Sit son and talk to your grandpa."

"I just want to thank you and your mom for coming to see me and Leroy. You know I see a lot of Leroy in you. You have his stubborn streak."

"I thought I got that from my mom."

"Well she got it from him too," Hiram laughed. "I remember the first day that I met him, but that was so long ago, and I know that you don't want to hear an old man ramble. I should get back up stairs before Leroy misses me."

Brandon realized that Hiram's lucid moment was passing because he didn't remember that Leroy was gone.

"Can I help you back upstairs?" Brandon asked.

"I know this house like I know the back of my hand, but thanks for offering. I'll have to be extra quiet so I don't wake Leroy up."

Hiram finished his milk, put the cup in the sink and was up the stairs.

Brandon felt the keys, the money, and the credit card in his pocket. Picking up his bag, he tip-toyed out to the garage. Opening the car door as quietly as possible, he was hit with a new reality. The car was a straight shift with a clutch. He hadn't even had driver's education and didn't even know how to drive an automatic. How was he going to open the garage door, and get the straight shift car out with out being heard? He hadn't thought that far. Then plan B began to form in his brain. It involved a bright shiny new Mustang convertible.

He stashed his suit case in the garage and dropped the BMW's car keys back into his mom's purse. His plan would have to wait until morning.

-/-

After a quick breakfast Brandon hurried out the kitchen door. He didn't want his mom to realize that some of her money and a credit card were missing. He also didn't want to rehash last night's argument with his mother either.

At the pool, Emily was already busy with her beginning swimming classes.

"Hi Brandon! Are you ready for this afternoon's swim meet?" Emily called to him from her place in the pool.

"Yeah, but I think I left my team shirt in the trunk of your car after the last meet, mind if I take a look?"

"Yuck, it's going to be nasty, and my trunk is going to smell."

"I'll wash my shirt in the bathroom and hang it over the fence to dry. It'll be ready by this afternoon. I can move your car out into the sun and air out the trunk if you like."

"You don't have a license, my dad would kill you," Emily called back as she helped a little boy float on his back.

"I'll only move it a hundred feet, your dad will never know."

"Okay, my keys are in my swim bag under the life-guard stand."

Brandon knew that it was now or never. He knew if he went through with Plan B there would be no turning back. Emily would never speak to him again, but he didn't plan on returning to this town ever again.

Slipping his bag into the backseat, he started the car and tapped his New York address into the navigation system. All of the life guards were in the pool with beginning swimmers and no one was paying any attention to him. Pulling into the street, he got the feel of the car and for the first time in his life he was driving.

Once out of town and heading for the interstate, he was feeling brave and decided to punch it. He had to get as far away as possible before Emily missed the car. Speeding down the road Brandon was flying when he missed a curve in the road.

The red Mustang went airborne in a barrel roll. Brandon fell out and landed in the ditch in the path of the hurling automobile. The car rolled over him before it smashed sideways into a line of trees. A truck diver saw the whole thing and called the police. Sheriff Puckerman was on the way along with an ambulance.

Puck recognized the car when he arrived on the scene. He was expecting to find Emily in the rubble, but instead he found Brandon. The boy was unconscious and was covered with scrapes and bruises. Puck called Hudson Tires and told Finn to meet him at the hospital. He also told Finn to tell Emily that her car was a total loss.

Finn called Rachel who was busy getting Hiram ready for a doctor's appointment. She left Hiram in the care of his nurse and raced to the hospital.

When Brandon came to he was handcuffed to his bed. "Mom, what happened, why am I handcuffed to a hospital bed?"

"You've been in a car wreck, but you're going to be okay. I can't say the same for Emily's car. You stole her car and totaled it. You're going to be charged with grand theft auto, destruction of private property, driving without a license, and half a dozen other things that I can't remember. What were you thinking? They found your suitcase at the scene. Where you running away from home?"

"Mom this isn't my home. New York City is my home! I want to go back to New York and get out of this town now!"

"That won't be happening anytime soon," Puck informed the boy. "These are serious charges against you. You stole a car and destroyed it."

"Isn't that what insurance is for? Finn don't you have insurance on that car?" Brandon asked.

"Brandon I'm glad that you're going to be okay, but stealing a car is serious business. I'm just worried what you will do next if you're willing to steal a car from a friend."

"I was going to call Emily and tell her where to find the car when I got to New York. I just wanted to go home and Mom isn't in any hurry to leave."

"Rachel you should get a lawyer. As soon as Brandon is released from the hospital, he'll be jailed," Puck told Rachel.

"Jailed? You can't put a fifteen year old boy in jail!"

"I'll have to until bail is set. I don't have any choice. Once he's arraigned it's all up to the legal system. I'll make sure that he's in solitary confinement away from the perverts until you can arrange bail."

Rachel was crying uncontrollably as Finn held her in his arms.

"What if I don't press charges?" Finn finally asked.

"Daddy, he stole my car."

"And you gave your keys to an unlicensed driver, and told him that he could move it," Finn scolded his daughter.

Finn continued, "The car is insured, but my rates are going to go up, and I have a thousand dollar deductible on it. Brandon, I'm going to give you a chance to work at the tire shop until your debt to me is paid off. You have a month until school starts, and I think if you work six days a week, I'd call it square. But you're going to work your ass off."

"But I don't know anything about cars."

"You will by the time school starts, or you can take your chances with the judge. The choice is yours."

"And Sunday is my day off. You'll be spending it in the Puckerman School of Driving," Puck informed the boy.

"Finn, Noah, why are you doing this?" Rachel asked.

"I feel that getting his hands dirty doing a man's job might do him some good. He's going to work as hard as anyone on my crew just not get paid for it."

"What about child labor laws?" Puck asked.

"At fifteen he can legally work until school starts if he gets a work permit. Rachel would have to agree to that."

"What do you say?" Rachel asked her son. "It beats going to jail and having a criminal record for the rest of your life."

"I want to say no, but it doesn't look like I have a choice."

"You had a choice when you stole Emily's car. Brandon, life is full of choices and consequences. That's your problem. I have never given you any consequences for the things you do. I have paid you out of one screw up after another. Now I think it's time for you to pay yourself out of this one, before you do anything worse. Is that clear?"

"Yes mam." Brandon answered. He knew not to say anything else with both Puck and Finn glaring down at him.

When Brandon recovered Rachel dropped him off at the tire shop. Finn had a huge pile of worn out dirty tires waiting to be loaded into the recycling truck. Brandon was filthy and exhausted when Finn dropped him off that night. The next day he had to empty the burnt motor oil from all of the service bays into barrels. When a truck load of new tires came in, he had to inventory them and place them in the racks by make and size. Finn worked by his side the whole time teaching him the job as he went.

After the first week, Brandon was bone tired. On Sunday morning Puck picked him up and they went for their first driving lesson in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

By the second week, Finn was teaching him how to mount and removing tires from rims manually. Brandon was anxious to use the air wrench, but Finn made him do it all the old fashioned way.

Why are you working me so hard?" Brandon asked Finn one day. "I don't see anyone else on your crew working as hard as I am."

"These men have been doing this job for years and weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth. None of them have ever stolen a dime from me. I don't want you to ever doubt what a days work is worth again. I had to work hard to earn the money to buy Emily's car, but she had to earn it too with good grades and good behavior. Thanks to you, she's not getting another car until she graduates, and it won't be a new Mustang either. But you're paying for your mistake with hard work and sweat."

"You aren't going to be a kid for that much longer. In a couple of years you're going to be an adult and with it comes responsibilities and consequences. There're a lot of people rotting in prison who never figured that out. You have opportunities that these men can only dream about. I don't want you to throw it all away."

"Do you ever think Emily will ever speak to me again?"

"Emily isn't one to hold grudges, but she's still very pissed with you. She's back to riding her bike to the pool."

"I hope that it isn't pink with a banana seat and streamers," Brandon asked cautiously.

"No it's not that bad," Finn laughed.

Every day Rachel came over to the tire shop to bring Brandon his lunch. "How's Brandon doing?" Rachel asked.

"He hasn't talked back to me or stole anything if that's what you're asking."

Finn was walking Rachel back to the old black BMW when a white SUV drove up. Behind the wheel was Quinn. There was no mistaking it.

Finn was stunned when she rolled the driver's window down and removed her sunglasses.

"Quinn is that you? What are you doing here?" Finn stammered.

"Finn, is this how you say hello to me? I know, it's been sixteen years, but I thought it was time for a little family reunion."

"We're not a family, and don't bother getting out of your car! Tell me why you have decided to show up now?"

"I still read the Lima Times newspaper on my lap top, and I saw that Leroy Berry had died and that Rachel and her son Brandon Weston were in town for the funeral. But what brought me back was reading that Rachel's son stole our daughter's car and totaled it. I didn't know that Rachel even had a son or that Emily knew him."

"Emily isn't our daughter! She is my daughter! You ran out on her in the middle of the night. Remember? Has Emily seen you?"

"No, why? Did you tell her that I was dead or something?"

"No, she knows that you're not dead. She hasn't seen you in over sixteen years, and we've been doing fine without you. What are you doing here? Are you going to tell her the truth about why you ran out on her? I still remember what you did to her the night you left. You won't be here long so stay in your car. Drive over to the McKinley parking lot and we can talk there. I don't want anyone to see you until I figure out why you're here."

"Is your long lost girlfriend coming too, or can she release her parasitic grip on you long enough so that we can have a private conversation?" Quinn asked smugly.

"Rachel never left a six week old baby in the middle of the night! Rachel, tell Brandon that I'll be back in half an hour and to finish restocking the oil racks. And please don't tell anyone that you saw Quinn. She won't be staying!"

Rachel was dumbfounded as she watched Finn drive away following Quinn's SUV, and what did Finn mean when he said that he remembered what Quinn had done to Emily on the night she left?

Walking back to the pit she found Brandon stocking the racks with oil cans.

"Brandon, Finn wants you to finish stocking the oil can racks. He says that he'll be back in half an hour."

"Who was the blond that he was talking to? He didn't seem to be very happy to see her. Was that Emily's mom? She sure looked like her except for the hair."

Rachel lied, "I think that was some disgruntle customer. Anyway, Finn will be back in thirty minutes."

"Brandon, I'm proud of the way you've worked here for Finn. He could have pressed charges against you, and you'd be looking at serious jail time."

"I know, I've decided that Finn isn't such a bad guy."

"Honey, Finn realizes that you're at a turning point in your life. He's given you a chance to start over before you make choices that can't be fixed."

"Mom, if you want to go out with him, I won't make a stink. He must think a lot of you."

"Have you given any thought to staying here in Lima?"

"Yeah. If that's what you want to do, I think Grandpa Hiram would be better off in his own house."

"I thought you were ready to dump him in a nursing home."

The night before I stole Emily's car, Grandpa and I had a talk in the kitchen. He's at home in his house. He knows where everything is at. He's lost Grandpa Leroy, but he still remembers his home. You're right. He'd wake up every morning surrounded by strange people he didn't remember from the night before if we put him in a home."

"Staying in Lima means you'd have to go to McKinley and Mr. Schue, Puck, and Finn aren't going to put up with much garbage from you."

"I know, Puck has promised to teach me how to drive a straight-shift after I get my license. Finn said I could work here after school when I turn sixteen if I get my grades up."

"What made you change your attitude?" Rachel asked.

"Lying on the ground and seeing that car heading straight for me scared the life out of me. Waking up chained to a hospital bed and going to jail were a close seconds. If that car had landed two feet closer I would have been crushed. But most of all I think its Finn. He's giving me a chance. He's not yelling at me or treating me like a criminal."

"Finn grew up without a dad too."

-/-

Things were very tense when Finn pulled up behind Quinn in the McKinley High School parking lot. Except for a few cars the lot was deserted. Finn jumped out of his truck and climbed in the passenger seat next to Quinn.

"Now will you please tell me what this is all about and why you're here? You walked out on us, and we haven't heard from you since! You just can't drop back into Emily's life when it suits you!"

"Finn, can't we talk about this without yelling? What have you told Emily about me?"

"She knows that you're alive, but you weren't able take care of her. She knows your name. She has her birth certificate. I gave it to her so she could get her driver's license. I also told her that I wouldn't stand in her way if she wanted to look for you when she turned eighteen, but I wouldn't help her find you either."

"Beth found me two years ago, and it wasn't pretty."

"Beth? What happened?"

"She hates me. She thinks I was sleeping around and that giving her away was the easy way out for me. I couldn't make her understand that I did what I thought was best for her. I was fifteen and couldn't raise a baby even with my mom's help. Beth loves Shelby and Rachel has been a big sister to her."

"Rachel? How close has Rachel been to Beth?"

"Shelby and Beth moved back to New York after they left Ohio. Rachel and Beth know each other as sisters. They've got this bond because they both feel they were deserted by their birth mothers. Rachel sends her theater tickets, and birthday presents, and they see each other for holidays. That's why I came back. I saw the paper, and I don't want Rachel or her bad-seed son involved in Emily's life too."

"Emily already knows Rachel. She knows that we were once engaged. Emily and Rachel's son are friends and how can you call Brandon a bad-seed? You don't even know him!"

"Really? Didn't he steal Emily's car and then destroyed it? He isn't even old enough to have a driver's license. What kind of kid has Rachel raised? I know that she made it big on Broadway, maybe wolves raised him while she was off winning her Tony Awards."

"Quinn, that's enough! Why are you really here?"

"Rachel is family with one of my daughters. I don't want her to be family with both of them. Rachel has always gotten it all. I want to see my little girl."

"Your little girl has grown up. You couldn't even look at Emily when she was a baby. What's changed?"

"Beth never wants to see me again. I thought I might still have a chance with Emily. Do you want me to tell her that you're not her real father?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Is that a threat? Emily won't believe you! I'm the only parent that she has ever known, and I've spent the last sixteen years protecting her from YOUR awful truth! I should have let the police hunt you down the night you left and charge you with child abuse and abandonment!" Finn was getting angrier by the moment.

"As I remember you couldn't even look at Emily's red hair! You butchered her hair and then you walked out on her! I tried to understand how Emily's red hair could remind you of what happened. I would've probably married you eventually even though I didn't love you! You gave up your chances the night you deserted her! Is keeping Emily from knowing Rachel the way Beth does the reason why you're here?" Why do you hate Rachel so much?"

"Rachel has always gotten everything she has ever wanted! She's famous. She has Beth. She has Emily, and now she's going to have you too! I know it!" Quinn sobbed.

"You've got to be the most selfish bitch that I've ever met in my entire life! We aren't in high school anymore; we graduated a long time ago! What is it going to take to keep you from screwing up Emily's life the way you've screwed up yours?" Finn fumed.

"I don't want Rachel to have Emily and you too. Beth loves Rachel, but she hates me. Besides, don't you think all of this is getting kind of incestuous? I mean if you marry Rachel, you'll be marrying your daughter's sister."

"Have you totally lost what mind you have left? Are you so desperate that you would even think of such a thing? Rachel and Emily aren't blood related. Beth is Rachel's adopted sister. Beth and Emily are half sisters."

"Finn, please don't marry Rachel."

"I never said that I was going to marry Rachel. For all I know Rachel's going back to New York at the end of the month."

"Finn, you heard me. Don't marry Rachel; I don't want her to be Emily's mother if I can't be. I'll leave Lima today. You have my word."

"Your word isn't worth spit!"

"That's the best I can do, take it or leave it." Quinn snapped.

"Get out of Lima right now and crawl back into the hole that you came out of! I'm going to call my lawyer the instant I get back, and have an iron clad restraining order taken out against you! I don't even want you in the same state with any of us!"

Finn was so angry he was shaking when he got back into his truck. When he returned to the shop Brandon had finished restocking the oil and was sweeping up. Rachel was still there.

"Brandon, I think there is a swim meet this afternoon. Why don't you take the afternoon off and head over to the pool. Tell Emily that I said it was okay, and for her not to be mad at you forever."

"Sure Boss thanks!" Brandon put the broom and dust pan away and was out the door.

"Rachel, Quinn is gone, but we need to talk in private. Let's go sit in my truck."

Finn was still visibly shaken when he closed the truck door.

"Are you alright?" Rachel finally asked.

"I don't think I've been this angry since the night she left."

"What did Quinn want?"

"She's still as crazy, and mixed up and selfish as she was in high school. She's afraid that you're back in my life and she doesn't want us to be together. She's using the excuse that you and Beth are family and she doesn't want that for you and Emily. She says that if she can't be Emily's mom than she doesn't want you to be."

"Emily's mom? Isn't she getting ahead of herself?"

"I know. It's crazy, but don't think that I haven't thought of it. I have been hoping that you and Brandon could stay in Lima and maybe we could have another chance, but you left Lima for New York once. Why would you stay?"

"I'd stay for my dad, to keep him in his home. I'd stay for Brandon, to give him a new start. And I'd stay for you. I threw that chance away a long time ago, but maybe there's still hope."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Brandon has changed his mind about Lima and McKinley. He'd willing to stay, and if we want to see each other he won't get in the way."

"Rach, no one wants that more than I do. I want us to be together forever, but it can't happen, not now."

"What's changed? I love you, and I know that you still love me."

"Because Quinn has threatened to tell Emily that I'm not her real father if you and I should ever get legally married."

"May I ask who Emily's real father is if that's not prying too much?"

"When Quinn showed up in Lima, she was eight and a half months pregnant and she didn't have a clue who the father was. She said that she was drugged at a frat party and raped. She never knew who the guy was, but she had dreams and flashbacks. The guy had red hair. When Emily was born she had a full head of red hair. It's blonder now. Quinn couldn't look at her hair without being reminded of what had happened. The night that Quinn left she came downstairs for Emily's bottle and went back upstairs with a pair of kitchen scissors. She cut all of Emily's hair off and then left. Emily was six weeks old."

Finn took a deep breath before he continued, "I thought Quinn was going to put Emily up for adoption before she left the hospital. Quinn didn't want to put 'father unknown' on Emily's birth certificate so I filled in my name. Stupid I know, but I've never regretted it. Quinn ended up bringing Emily home, but in the end she couldn't handle it. Only me, Mom, Burt, Kurt, and Blaine know the whole story. We've spent years protecting Emily from the truth."

"Kurt never mentioned any of this to me."

"Kurt's a good brother, and a good uncle to Emily. None of us ever said anything to protect Emily from knowing how she was conceived."

"So there's no chance for me and you? Quinn gets the last word?"

"Rachel. I'll do anything to protect my daughter just like I know you would do anything to protect Brandon. I have to put her happiness ahead of mine. I love you, but I have to protect Emily."

"Did Quinn say that we couldn't be friends? Brandon and I are still going to be here. I'm going to pay off Dad's house and Brandon is going to McKinley. I'm going to keep Dad at home for as long as I can."

"But we can never be together, not the way I want us to be. I always hoped that we'd get married some day. I think that is why I never married in the first place. If I couldn't have you I didn't want anyone else."

"Finn, Let's just take it one day at a time. I'm not going anywhere and you're not going anywhere. Quinn can't object to us living in the same town especially since I'm relocating for my dad's sake. Maybe someday she'll change her mind, but if she doesn't that's okay. You've always been my boy next door."

"Rachel, isn't this settling? Settling for second best? I want us to live in the same house and wake up in the same bed together every morning. I want the whole world to know that you're my wife."

"I know you do, I want that too, but sometimes you have to put the happiness of others ahead of your own. You've always put Emily's needs ahead of your own. Nothing's changed

"Yes it has. We finally found our way back to each other.

-/-

Chapter 4, "Life Goes On For the Living" will be up soon. Thank you for reading and reviewing.


	5. Chapter 5 Life Goes On For the Living

**Life Goes On For the Living – Chapter 5**

(I do not own Glee or any of the characters.)

(**Author's Note** - Several of you commented that this story needed to continue for at least another chapter. I have reworked the end of the last chapter and written a continuation. I hope that this ending is more satisfying.)

-/-

"Are we going to let Quinn dictate how we live our lives?" Finn asked Rachel the day Quinn blew into town and delivered her ultimatum.

"As much as I want to be with you, we've got to let Quinn win this one for Emily's sake. You've spent her entire life protecting her from the truth. I see no need to stop now," Rachel tried to reassure Finn who was still angry after his meeting with Quinn.

"Then where do we go from here?" Finn asked blankly.

"First I need to take Brandon over to McKinley and let him look around. I want him to make sure that this move is right for him too. I can call Mr. Schue tonight and make the arrangements. Does our old high school still have a glee club or a swim team?"

"Yes they have a swim team, and most of the kids that swim at the pool are on the high school team."

"Is Roz Washington still the swim coach?"

"Nah, she retired the same year Coach Sue retired. I think the two of them actually became friends. The swim team is now coached by Sam Evans."

"Sam! I had no idea he was still in town!

"Yeah, Sam teaches at the high school. He became a special education teacher after he saw what some help could do for him. He's done a lot of good over there with kids that might have slipped through the cracks."

"Moving here is sounding more like the right thing to do. After Brandon and I tour the high school, I'll make arrangements to have our things in New York packed up and shipped here if he wants to stay. I also need to get back in touch with my agent and my manager. If I'm going to put out a new album I need to get started. It's a lot of work."

-/-

Rachel and Brandon's move to Lima was difficult at first, but Brandon was making more good friends at McKinley than he ever had in New York. Brandon did miss the fast pace of the city, but eventually adjusted. Sam kept him busy on the swim team, and Mr. Schue kept an eye out for him.

Moving to Lima worked out for Rachel as well. Hiram was able to stay in his home. Since Rachel wasn't living in New York putting out a new CD was harder than she expected, but her recording label worked out the logistics. The recordings were done in Chicago on weekends when she could get someone to stay with Hiram and Brandon. Usually it was Carole and Burt.

Through the week Rachel found an adult day care for Hiram that kept him active. After her third CD was finished she decided to start the old McKinley glee club up again. It had died a few years earlier when Mr. Schue became principal and just didn't have the time.

To her surprise, interest in the glee club was overwhelming. Having a Broadway star and a top selling recording artist as the director was a big deal in a small town like Lima. The week before she started she pried Finn from work to go to the high school with her. Except for a thick coat of dust the choir room hadn't changed a lot except some of it was used for book storage.

"Look Finn, this is where we fell in love when we were fifteen. Do you remember?" Rachel asked as she opened the old familiar door.

"No this is isn't where I fell in love with you. I fell in love that afternoon in the auditorium when I kissed you for the first time. Let's see if it looks the same."

The auditorium hadn't changed that much either as Finn flipped on a bank of light. "I don't think they use it for musicals anyone."

To the side of the stage sat an old piano in need of repair.

"Remember, I was giving you a voice lesson, and then we had a picnic. I told you that you could kiss me if you wanted to."

"I still do," Finn's breathing skipped as he leaned over and kissed Rachel until they were both light headed. "Rach, I love you so much, if we weren't in a high school surrounded by a thousand kids right now who knows what I might do?"

"I don't have to pick up my dad from adult day care until five, and the kids have swim practice today. Why don't you take a few more hours off from work and come over to my house?"

"Rachel, this is a small town, What if Quinn finds out that we're seeing each other?"

"Quinn never said that we couldn't be friends. She just threatened to tell Emily everything if we got married. I moved to Lima for my dad, and I do have a faucet in need of repair if anyone asks."

Leading Finn up the stairs to her old bedroom, she lay down on the bed and patted the spot where the two made out so many years ago.

"Rach, we're both thirty-five years old and sneaking around just like we did in high school." Finn moaned between heated kisses.

"I don't care just as long as I can be with you."

Later the two were wrapped in the sheets and each others arms.

"That was better than I ever remembered Rachel," Finn kissed the back of her neck while he held he close to his chest.

"Better!" Rachel smirked as she turned around in his arms to look at him.

"What are we going to do?" Finn asked. "Sneak around like a couple of teen-agers?"

"I'll do what ever it takes to keep Emily safe even if that means never being being your wife."

Their weekly afternoon rendezvous soon became routine. They would spend an hour or two in total bliss, and then act like casual friends in public.

The year that Emily was a freshman at Michigan State and Brandon was a senior at McKinley, Hiram died peacefully in his sleep. Rachel went to wake him up one morning and found him. The first person that she called was Finn. He came over and spent the day with her. He held her when she cried and helped her make the arrangements when she was able.

"Should I put Dad's obituary in the paper?" Rachel asked Finn. "Quinn reading Daddy's obituary two years ago is what brought her to town."

"Go ahead and put it in if that's what you want to do. I'll handle Quinn if she shows up again."

Quinn didn't return and Emily never went looking for her. Emily thought about it on her eighteenth birthday but decided against it. Finn, Carole, and Burt had raised her, and they were all the parents she needed.

Emily did well at Michigan State and met Michael Eastman there. She married him a week after she graduated and had her first daughter a year later and a second daughter two years later.

Brandon left home for Ohio State a year after Hiram died leaving Rachel alone in the Berry House. Brandon and Emily had tried to talk their parents into getting married, but Rachel said that four times was enough. Finn's standard answer was that you couldn't teach and old dog new tricks.

Neither Brandon nor Emily knew that their parents secretly wanted to be married, but didn't because they were protecting Emily from the truth and Quinn's threats.

Brandon didn't have a clue what he wanted to do when he entered Ohio State but found his calling in social services working with troubled teens. When he graduated he returned to Lima and began working with teenagers who had lost their way. With him he brought Lisa. His college sweetheart who became his wife. She too worked for social services except her passion was working with the elderly. Lisa had to stop working for a while when their twin boys were born.

Finn and Rachel were approaching forty-five the year that everyone gathered in Lima for Thanksgiving. Rachel along with Emily and Lisa had cooked for days in anticipation of having everyone together. Burt and Carole would be there along with Blaine and Kurt.

Brandon and Michael were playing with the kids in the back yard after dinner. Burt, Finn, Blaine, and Kurt were asleep in the living room while a football game flickered on the big screen in front of them.

Rachel and the girls were putting the last of the china away when the door bell rang. Answering the door, she was face to face with Puck, his patrol car in the driveway.

"Puck it's so good to see you? Have you had your Thanksgiving feast yet? We have plenty left," Rachel gushed as she pulled her old friend through the door.

"Rachel, I'm not here for a social visit. I need to talk to you and Finn if he's here."

"Come on in and see everyone. I'll have to wake Finn up." After Puck had greeted everyone, he managed to get Rachel and Finn out to his patrol car.

"I'm really sorry to disrupt your family gathering, but some news came in on the police wire that I thought might affect you," Puck said quietly to his old friends.

"What is it Finn?" asked nervously.

"It's Quinn; she was killed two days ago. She died in a car accident in Hartford. I don't know if you ever told Emily who her mother was, but I thought you'd like to know."

"Emily has never met her mother," Finn said in shock.

"Are you going to tell her that her mother is dead?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know. Emily stopped asking about her years ago."

Finn was really quiet the rest of the afternoon. Rachel knew what he was thinking about.

Later that night Rachel was going to bed early. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. Brandon and Lisa were downstairs chasing their twins around trying to get them into bed as well.

Rachel had just pulled the comforter up over her shoulder when her cell phone rang. It was Finn.

"Rach, I know I said goodnight an hour ago, but could you come outside and talk to me for a moment? I'm parked in your driveway."

Pulling on her white robe and slippers she was soon seated in Finn's truck.

"I've made up my mind. Emily is happy. I'm going to let her stay that way. But I'm not happy. I've been in love with you since I was fifteen years old. I've wanted to marry you since I was eighteen. Quinn is gone and there is nothing standing in our way. How would you feel about a New Year's Eve wedding?"

"Finn, are you asking me to marry you?" Rachel asked in disbelief. "We're both going to be forty-five next year. Don't you think it's a little late?"

"Better late than never my mom always said. Rachel Barbara Berry, will you marry me? I don't have a ring or anything, but tomorrow is Black Friday and all of the stores will be open."

"Of course I'll marry you! New Year's Eve can not come quick enough!"

Rachel and Finn were married on New Year's Eve in a small candle light service. Brandon gave the bride away, Kurt was the best man, and Emily was the matron of honor.

They had been in love for thirty years, but had spent most of it protecting Emily and a secret.

Finn moved out of the Hummel/Hudson house and into Rachel's. They spent their first night as husband and wife in the same room where it all began.

The End (again)

I hope that you enjoyed this ending better than the previous one. Please look for my new story that will be up soon. It is entitled "The Surrogates." Sincerely, Whistler Nights


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